The secret recipe of The White Lotus – Luxury, mystery, blood, sex and social criticism – has also found its peak in this third season. With the eighth episode aired on April 7, almost a real film for an hour and a half, Mike White He closed the curtain on the Thai stage of his series, continuing the trail of successes after the Hawaiian and Sicilian settings.
In this season, the showrunner has shifted attention to deeper themes: existential reflections and spirituality intertwine with the events of increasingly complex characters. At the center are the Ratcliff, a family on the verge of economic and moral disaster, and the three childhood friends Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie, whose holiday is complicated due to dangerous connections with Russian characters linked to the employee of the Valentin resort. There is no shortage of the atypical couple formed by Chelsea and Rick, nor the return of Gary – the only face always present in all seasons.
From the beginning, with Zion who discovers a corpse in the pool accompanied by the sound of shots, we knew that the mystery would be central. And in the final, the picture is completed: We know who dies, who kills and why. Still, not everything finds a definitive explanation.
The Ratcliff ending
The night spent in the Buddhist monastery with his brother Lochlan leads Piper to clarify: as much as he searched for lighting, he is not ready to give up the life of aging he is used to.
The mother Victoria, almost raised, welcomes with serenity the daughter’s decision, while Tim, the patriarch in crisis, remains disappointed: he hoped at least in a simpler future for Piper. Lochlan, on the other hand, seems ready to live a more sober life, but this offers TIM just a partial comfort.
Thus, in a moment of despair, Tim tries the unthinkable: he pour into the cocktails of family members – except in that of Lochlan – the seeds of a local poisonous plant. But the last regrets and withdraws the glasses. The drama, however, is only postponed: the next morning, Lochlan prepares a smoothie using the same blender contaminated by the residues of the poisonous seeds and risks dying. Fortunately Tim manages to save him.
In the end, on the boat that brings them back to reality, Tim admits his imminent financial crimes. For the Ratcliff, the season ends as follows: they survive the holiday, not directly involved in the violent deaths that shake the resort.
Belinda
Also Belinda, another potential character involved in the mystery, avoids ending up in the vortex of blood. Her son Zion persuades her not to settle for Greg’s initial offer (aka Gary) and to relaunch. Thus, with a skilled bluff, he manages to snatch five million dollars, sufficient funds to finally start his business.
Yet, with the money in his pocket, Belinda changes his mind: he decides to leave Thailand together with Zion, greeting an incredulous pornchai, who imagined with her a working and romantic future. In short, Belinda also comes out unscathed from the bloodbath.
Gary-Greg and Chloe
Neither Greg nor Chloe, his partner, remain involved in the most bloody events. Greg seems safe in his hiding after paying the price of Belinda’s silence. Meanwhile, he continues his search for a young man willing to join him and Chloe in very precise erotic fantasies.
The three friends
Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie manage to leave the resort without injuries. Laurie, in particular, after escaping for a whisker in Aleksei and his threatening Russian girlfriend, reflects on his life and promises to stop complaining constantly, learning instead to appreciate what he has – starting from his friends. The trio is strengthened, but despite everything, it still finds itself involved, albeit indirectly, in the final shooting.
Gaitok, Valentin and the secret of the robbery
Valentin and his Russian friends are exposed by Gaitok: they are the responsible for the robbery at the resort jewelry. However, Gaitok decides not to report them, convinced by Valentin that doing it would condemn them to deportation and perhaps to death. This hesitation does not go unnoticed to Mook, the woman loved by Gaitok, who would have liked to see him more decisive and ambitious. His words resonate in Gaitok’s mind at the decisive moment.
Who killed who? The moment of truth
Rick’s return from Bangkok marks the turning point. After attacking Jim Hollinger (Sritala’s husband and suspected of killing Rick’s father), and having triggered his anger, Rick is looking for answers from his meditation teacher. But it only receives a postponement.
So, when Rick sees Jim and Sritala approach Jaclyn to take a photo, take the opportunity. Despite the attempts of Chelsea to stop him, Rick grabs Jim’s gun and shoot him twice in the chest.
The shock revelation comes immediately after: Sritala shouts that Jim is actually Rick’s father. The truth overwhelms him, but there is no time to elaborate it. Jim’s guards react, Rick kills them, but Chelsea is hit fatally.
Rick, desperate, takes her in his arms trying to save her. It is at that moment that Gaitok, under the order of Sritala and pushed by Mook’s thoughts, presses the trigger and kills Rick behind him. Their bodies, intertwined, end up in the hotel pool: a powerful scene that, reviewing the initial episode, confirms that the corpse discovered by Rick was precisely that of Rick.
In the end, Gaitok gets the so desired promotion and guides Sritala’s car, now officially at the service of her and rejecting any doubt about her future.
The White Lotus Thus closes his third season: leaving us with some answer, many ambiguity and some open questions. Perhaps we will find the answers in the fourth season – already confirmed. All that remains is to solve the mystery about which country in the world will be chosen for the incredible locations.
